Golf Live Show this weekend (and wine!)

If you like golf like I like golf, you should get down to the Golf Live Show going on right now! This weekend at the London Golf Club just outside of Tunbridge Wells. I was invited as a guest of Hotel du Vin, they know I like my wine but what do they have to do with golf? Plenty it turns out, as they work with the 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montogomerie in support of Elizabeth Montogomerie Foundation, Colin’s charity that he set up in memory of his mother who died of cancer. Hotel du Vin also plays host to all the professional golfers, providing their accommodation for the duration of the show. They are some lucky golfers enjoying the Hotel du Vin Tunbridge Wells and all it’s fabulous wines. The show is everything to do with golf. I was in golf heaven. They have pros on hand to give tips on how to improve your putting, driving, chipping, slicing, you name it, they can probably solve your problem. There are also plenty of masterclasses from some golfing greats. Besides Colin , Ian Woosnam, David Howell, Carly Booth and Trick Shot master Jeremy Dale are just a few of the pros on hand to give demonstrations and chat. Golf Courses to me are some of the most beautiful places to visit and there are plenty of golf course representatives on hand if you fancy booking a holiday. From the very trad Scotland and Ireland to the more exotic Dominican Republic and, the one I’d like to visit, Turkey, you can take your pick. Of course, they all seem to be giving away holidays, so fingers crossed, I win one! Of course, being the ‘sleuth, I did find some very good wine at the show as well. The Desires de Vin company have a stall where you can pop by and buy a glass or two of red or white Burgundy. I particularly liked the 2009 Auxey Duresses red, silky and fruity with some nice spicy notes, it would be easy to buy a bottle of this to have along with your picnic lunch. I even saw a couple who had just that idea. I also found a very good South African red on show in the clubhouse. The 2007 Expression from The Goose vineyard, made by a former South African golfer, Retief Goosen, just won a medal at the 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards and I can certainly taste why it won. A full, rich ripe red wine, it’s a blend of cabernet sauvignon, carmenere and shiraz. It was a lipsmackingly good wine, good structure, smooth tannins, very fruit forward but dry. It is however, a bit on the expensive side, wholesale is £32, but if you like robust South African wines, look for it in your local independent wine merchant or online.

latest golf fashions

A great day out for the golfer and the wine lover, get on down there this weekend if you can, the sun is shining and what better way to spend a weekend afternoon then on the golf course.

Golf Live is running all day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 20-22 but if you miss it this year, it is an annual event so there’s always next year.